COUNTY NEWS: Warning after boy develops ‘nasty blisters’ from plant

Isabella Cipirska

A grandmother is warning South Downs walkers to be careful after her four-year-old grandson was left with ‘nasty’ blisters and swelling from picking a wild plant.

Kathryn Penny, of Bessborough Terrace in Lancing, West Sussex, believes the dangers of wild parsnips are not widely known, after doctors failed to identify the cause of her grandson Tom’s injuries.

Tom's hands came up with blisters and swelling

“Everyone knows about giant hogweed and there are lots of warnings, but this one no one seems to have heard of,” she said.

Tom had been out for a walk in Mill Hill, Shoreham, West Sussex, with his father, his one-year-old brother Noah and their dog, on Tuesday, July 25, when he decided to pick some flowers for his grandmother.